


rays from the morning sun

by apeunde



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, unfinished wips dump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 19:57:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8547049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apeunde/pseuds/apeunde
Summary: an unfinished vixx wip dump -- all sorts of pairings, rating, ideas that may never get done but that I still liked enough to share with you.





	1. intro

so, this is, as stated in the summary, pretty much just a drabble dump. the only difference is that I do not really plan on finishing any of the things I post here, so they may seem very short or cut off or weirdly paced. but I still wanted to share them with you, because I put a lot of thoughts into them nonetheless, and I think in case I ever loose any of these, I have a place where to find them.

also, if you like them enough, I might actually get back into finishing one or two of them after all... ;;

so enjoy, and please let me know your thoughts! :)


	2. suck you up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hakyeon is a incubus, and sanghyuk is the innocent roommate of one of his dinners.
> 
> *nc17  
> *nhyuk incubus au

The beat coming from the speakers is low, vibrating in his ears as Hakyeon looks around him with a little smirk playing on his lips. Most of the people around him are already long past intoxicated, hazy eyes and loose tongues as they talk and dance, bodies against bodies under the flashing lights of the club. It’s exactly his kind of scene, one where he won’t stand out, and Hakyeon lets his eyes wander in curiosity; tonight, he can choose. 

He’s never sure what he’s looking for, he just lets his instincts get the better of him. Sometimes it’s a scent, sometimes very tight jeans clinging to nice thighs, and sometimes it’s the simplest smile. Today, though, his eyes stop on gloomy eyes flittering around the room, wide shoulders and nicely formed body leaning against the counter of the bar. Hakyeon likes the sheer look of disgust in those dark eyes, flickering about the room in sole judgement, and he can’t help the grin that’s spreading on his face. He really likes a challenge.

Making his way over to the bar, he orders a drink — ‘give me anything’, he tells the bartender — before leaning against it in the same disinterested manner, eyes fixed on the other man. Hakyeon thinks his sullen expression is pretty cute, and he can’t help the chuckle that passes his lips as the dark haired male sends another seething look at what seems to be his friend, enjoying his time on the dance floor.

“Why don’t you join him?” Hakyeon asks sweetly as he moves closer; he can see the other jump a little in surprise, eyes trailing up and down Hakyeon’s appearance. 

“Don’t want to,” he answers, shifting a little on his feet; his voice is soft, barely audible over the loud drumming of the bass, but Hakyeon picks it up without problems. He smiles smugly as he leans just a little closer, and he can feel the warmth radiating from the other’s body. His mouth almost waters, hungry as he is, as his eyes trail over the broad shoulders; he licks his lips, eyes coming back up to settle on the other male’s lips.

“What’s your name?” He asks, a little smile dancing on his lips as the other glances at him, a little abashed. Hakyeon can tell he isn’t used to being hit on; he deems that quite sad, considering the other was pretty fine.

“Taekwoon,” he gets as an answer, voice still soft, but there’s a little tremble in his tone that Hakyeon recognises all too well. He tries to force back the victorious smile that’s threatening to come out, instead catching Taekwoon’s glance flickering to his lips.

“That’s a pretty name,” Hakyeon coos, just a little, and he can see the light pink streaks spreading just above Taekwoon’s cheekbones, “I’m Hakyeon.”

Taekwoon nods, taking a sip from his drink in silence, eyes casting down in slight embarrassment. But when they look up, Hakyeon can see a glimmer of appreciation pooling in the dark brown colour of his irises, and his stomach almost growls at the anticipation of tonight’s feast.

 

Taekwoon’s lips on his neck burn pleasantly, leaving little kisses and bite marks on his skin, and Hakyeon feels his fingertips tingle with the familiar anticipation settling in his stomach. It’s appetising, the way Taekwoon’s hands dig into his sides, hips moving along with his — Hakyeon’s mind is foggy, breath coming is harsh pants by the time their shirts are discarded.

“Come here,” Hakyeon whispers as he pulls Taekwoon up for a kiss, lips moulding together, and it’s so delicious Hakyeon lets out a small moan. It’s been a couple of days since he’s last fed, and even though he knows he could hold out months, each time is far too invigorating, making him swim in sheer bliss, to hold out for that long.

“Cute,” he hears Taekwoon’s soft voice mumble against his chest as he moves down, leaving small bites along his skin, and Hakyeon doesn’t object, instead tangling his fingers into the strands of Taekwoon’s hair.

“Please,” Hakyeon breathes, tasting the dizzying pleasure heavy on his lips and tongue as Taekwoon’s fingers cup him through his pants, “please, I need-“

He doesn’t get to say what he needs, though, as a sudden noise interrupts them in their ministrations. Hakyeon looks up, eyelids heavy and lips swollen, and his eyes land on a bewildered looking boy standing in the hallway, the door of the apartment still open. His eyes are wide in surprise and shock, and Hakyeon can see the dark blush forming on his cheeks before his eyes trail up further and— ‘oh’, Hakyeon thinks, as he feels something drop in his stomach, heart starting to beat in his chest.

“Oh my god, Taekwoon-hyung, I’m sorry, I’ll- uhhh-“ His voice is low, a little embarrassed, and Hakyeon can feel a weird sense of attraction wash over him as he takes in the bright brown eyes, long limbs and sharp jawline, the tingling in his fingertips starting anew.

“It’s okay, Sanghyuk-ah,” Taekwoon murmurs as he stands up on his feet, pulling Hakyeon up with him, unexpectedly calm as he moves them both through the living room and through the door to Taekwoon’s bed room. Hakyeon glances over his shoulder one last time, seeing the younger still rooted on the spot, before the door behind him closes.

Hakyeon turns back to Taekwoon, a little smirk playing on his lips as he takes in his disheveled appearance; shirt nowhere to be found, lips pink and swollen just like Hakyeon’s own, hair messy where Hakyeon’s fingers had done their work. He moves closer again, running his lips along the line of Taekwoon’s jaw, earning a little breathy moan.

“Your boyfriend?” He asks playfully, and even though he knows Taekwoon wouldn’t be the kind to cheat, there’s still a little burning in his stomach as he thinks of Sanghyuk. Taekwoon shakes his head though, a little chuckle passing his lips.

“Roomate,” he mutters as his fingers fumble with Hakyeon’s belt buckle, now and again grazing over his heated skin, making Hakyeon let out a little hiss.

“Good,” Hakyeon smiles as he watches Taekwoon get on his knees, unzipping his pants. 

But as Hakyeon’s head rolls back as Taekwoon’s lips work wonders on his dick, it’s Sanghyuk’s pink streaked cheeks and bright gleaming eyes that flicker over his mind.

 

When Hakyeon leaves in the grey hue of the morning lights, he takes his time. Taekwoon won’t be able to get up for a few more hours, Hakyeon knows; he’s taken a lot of his energy last night, more than he usually does. But even the pleasure Taekwoon had given him isn’t entirely enough to sate his hunger, as his stomach starts churning and making little noises, and he feels the yearning spread through his veins once more. 

He curses lowly under his breath, and even though Hakyeon isn’t the type to despise his needs and hunger in the slightest, today he’d really wish they’d go away for once. When he moves out of the room and along the apartment to the front door, he has to keep his mind at bay and his fingers shoved deeply into his jacket’s pockets to not give into the urge to spy a glance through the door to Sanghyuk’s room.

 

—

 

When he pushes the door to his apartment open, he instantly hears the shuffling of feet. He lets out a sigh; he knows Hongbin only means it well, looking after him once in a while (once in a while being three times a week), but he starts regretting letting him have the code to his door.

“Hi!” Hongbin beams at him as he walks in, kicking his shoes off his feet; he still smells faintly of cigarettes and sweat from the night before, and he makes it a point to not go any closer to Hongbin as absolutely necessary. Hongbin pouts a little, never really put off by smells like Hakyeon is, but his eyes twinkle with jest.

“You look like you had a successful night,” Hongbin muses, dimples showing as he cracks a smile, watching Hakyeon move into the bathroom to get rid of the black coal smudged around his eyes, “had some fun?”

Hakyeon doesn’t reply, not wanting to give Hongbin anything to work with. The other incubus is technically older than him, even if his human body doesn’t show it — and he likes to tease Hakyeon whenever he can. It’s tiring sometimes, if Hakyeon wouldn’t like Hongbin so much; and if he wouldn’t be much too grateful to him for taking him under his wing. But today, he’s much too tired to put up with anything Hongbin throws at him, his hunger still whirling in his stomach like a burning fire. He almost wants to growl in annoyance, something that usually never happens. He takes his time getting clean, feeling his muscles tense under his touch, and he wants nothing more than to sink into the soft and comfortable sanctuary of his bed. He can hear Hongbin tapping away here and there in the kitchen, probably making coffee again — Hakyeon is sure that Hongbin is the only incubus he’s ever known enjoying the bitter drink as much as Hongbin does.

“I just want to sleep,” Hakyeon manages to press out when he resurfaces from the bathroom, face clean and mostly washed up. Hongbin sends him a look, and Hakyeon knows he wants to prompt him to work; it’s his day off, and not even Hongbin can drag him down to the shop to sell more of the awful drink of which the scent currently floats around his house.

“I’ll see you on monday then? If you don’t wake up before I leave,” Hongbin snickers, and Hakyeon is thankful he leaves it at that.

“I won’t,” he says simply, shuffling into the bedroom and closing the door behind him to make his point.

 

Hakyeon didn’t plan to end up at the same club he did last night; in fact, he doesn’t even know how he got here in the first place. It’s one of his feeding strategies, to avoid a club he’s been in for at least two to three weeks before the next time, and yet here he is, strolling into the dark ambience of the place barely 24 hours later. He doesn’t really know what he expects to find, who he expects to meet — though that isn’t entirely true. Sanghyuk’s face keeps floating up in his mind; he had been barely able to actually fall asleep, Sanghyuk’s scent and the expression on his face keeping him awake throughout the hours of the early afternoon. Hakyeon didn’t like it, still doesn’t, but when he woke up a couple of hours prior after finally falling into sleep, there was the urge to go back again tonight, back to the club where he met Taekwoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a friend of mine gave me this idea, and it has been a good 2 years since... i feel ashamed ;;;


	3. in our own way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jaehwan moves to the city from the countryside, and the moment he meets sanghyuk, his new roommate, his life gets out of control.
> 
> *prostitution  
> *nc17  
> *hyuken red light au

The alley was dark, just like it always was at this time of the night, and Sanghyuk blew the smoke of his cigarette out between clenched teeth.

Tonight had been a very low night. A few stray cats here and there, one or two bigger whales that got him a nice amount of money to survive for the next few weeks. It was enough to get by, but Sanghyuk didn’t like it when he had time in between to think. It was bothersome, thinking too much, and in his field of work it was better to leave the thoughts out of the job.

He looked up as he heard footsteps coming down the alley, the sound unsure, as if the person didn’t know if they were going the right way. Sanghyuk’s eyes took in a tall man at the end of the alley, cautiously walking along as his eyes trailed over the come down houses to his sides. The other two hookers Sanghyuk agreed to share his territory with eyed the stranger with interest, and Sanghyuk scoffed, uninterested. The guy clearly didn’t look like he was out for a little of paid fun with any of them, judging from the way his expression became alarmed as one of the guys approached him. 

Sanghyuk looked on, more bored than anything as Wonshik tried to work his charm. The man’s eyes flickered across Wonshik’s lips as he spoke and Sanghyuk chuckled. Wonshik had a way about him that had even made Sanghyuk consider to fuck him just for fun the first time they met - he was easy going but dominant, and Sanghyuk found him rather sweet. But he had his rules, and one of those was to never land in bed with one of his fellow coworkers. It made everything too complicated, even more so because it would be in no way a job for money. Sanghyuk had learned fast that those things never worked out.

His eyes were still fixed on the man, though, and he had a little frown on his face that almost made him think ‚cute‘. He looked lost by now, eyes darting here and there, trying to politely tell Wonshik off, hands in front of his chest in an attempt to bring up excuses. Sanghyuk chuckled, because he knew how persuasive Wonshik could become, but he took a little pity on the guy, clearly walking down the wrong block. Maybe even a tourist from another city, from the way his clothes didn’t specifically match the on going trends. Standing up straight from his position against the wall, Sanghyuk flicked the bud of his cigarette onto the ground, not bothering about stepping it off.

His steps were lazy as he moved over to Wonshik, grabbing him by the shoulder to make him turn, giving the stranger small smile.

„Wonshik, leave the guy alone, he clearly isn’t interested.“ He gave the man a short once over, and now that he was standing rather close, he had to hold back a laugh. The guy was clearly not part of their clientele, checkered, too wide shirt and khaki pants screaming country boy, his light brown hair and glasses accentuating his somewhat nerdy look. Sanghyuk still thought he was cute, somehow, and smirked, which earned him a light red streak along the man’s cheeks.

„Don’t meddle with my business, Sanghyuk.“ Wonshik’s words were growled, mostly for show though, and Sanghyuk couldn’t help but grin at him. Wonshik retreated, though, giving the stranger a lost look before mumbling under his breath that he wasn’t worth it anyway, walking off to lean against the banister of a pair of stairs. Sanghyuk chuckled, turning to the stranger who was blinking at him in surprise.

„Uh, thanks.“ He offered, eyes raking down Sanghyuk’s appearance, unsure what to make of him. Sanghyuk simply shrugged, hands in the pockets of his black jeans.

„Where did you want to go?“ He asked, mostly out of curiosity. The fancy streets were one block down, but even as a stranger to the city people didn’t often land in the back alleys unless they wanted to.

„Uh,“ the stranger blinked, „I’m looking for a club.“

Sanghyuk raised one of his eyebrows, eyes now trailing pointedly over the man’s attire. The stranger followed his gaze, looking down at himself, before looking back up to meet Sanghyuk’s eyes, questioningly.

„What?“

Sanghyuk couldn’t help but let out a small giggle, hand coming out of his pocket to point his finger along the clothes.

„A club? Dressed like this?“

The blush was back on the man’s cheeks in no time, this time much more prominent as he shifted on his feet, insecure.

„S-so what?“ he stammered, trying to sound accusing but only managing to make Sanghyuk laugh more. „At least it’s-„ he licked his lips as his eyes trailed over Sanghyuk’s clothes, jeans ripped along his thighs and tight muscle shirt emphasizing his build, „decent.“

Sanghyuk smirked, taking one step closer. The man was tall, just as tall as him, but Sanghyuk knew how to make them feel small if he wanted to. His eyes turned dark, the smirk still playing along his lips as he leaned in, breath hitting the stranger’s skin, making him shudder.

„I don’t think you are in any position to tell me anything about,“ he licked his lips, emphasizing the next words, „decent clothes, as you put it,“ he murmured, voice low and threatening as the man gulped, cheeks heated and eyes nervously running over Sanghyuk’s face, „but if you want, I can help you get rid of them.“ The proposition was heavy in the words, startling the man to scramble a step back.

„I, uh, no- thank you but-„

Sanghyuk threw his head back in laughter as he turned around, not before sending a small wink at the man again, still chuckling under his breath.

„That way,“ Sanghyuk snickered as his left hand pointed right, before he made his way back into the alley without a look back. He could hear the stranger step away, muttering a quiet ‚thank you‘ that had Sanghyuk roll his eyes. 

He passed Wonshik, who threw him a slightly disgruntled look, and Sanghyuk couldn’t help but poke his tongue out at him as he walked on. It was late, and he should really start to make his way back home, the first few lights of the morning glimmering over the buildings around them.

 

—-

 

„Why did you need a roommate again?“ Wonshik asked as they were lazing on Sanghyuk’s couch, cigarette dangling from his lips as he looked up at Sanghyuk who rolled his eyes, attention on the pot of boiling kimchi stew in front of him..

„Don’t talk like I had any say in the matter. The landlady contacted me and said that her grandson needed a place to live in as he’s moving to the city.“ His eyebrows creased as he guided the ladle to his lips to give it a taste. „It’s either I share with him, or she kicks me out.“

„Tough old lady,“ Wonshik grumbled around his cigarette, blowing the smoke out of his nose. „When is he going to come over?“

Sanghyuk shrugged as he added a little more salt into the pot. „Not sure. Maybe this afternoon, maybe tomorrow. She didn’t say.“

Wonshik hummed as Sanghyuk turned down the stove to let the stew rest for a bit, moving to the counter to put out some dishes. Suddenly Wonshik’s expression became smug, and Sanghyuk’s eyebrows creased as he looked at him wearily.

„…What.“

Wonshik chuckled, bringing his hands to rest behind his head, giving Sanghyuk a pointed look. „Maybe he’s hot. You know.“ He wriggled his eyebrows, and Sanghyuk had the sudden urge to throw a plate at him.

„Who cares.“

Wonshik smirked, making Sanghyuk’s blood boil in his veins at the implications. „Maybe you might, you know. Like him.“

„I won’t. I’m not looking for a relationship. Plus, I’m getting laid plenty, thank you.“ He added as Wonshik raised his eyebrows at him pointedly. He turned back to the stove, checking on the meal, trying to ignore Wonshik’s high and mighty expression. 

„Well, not with this apron, you won’t.“

Wonshik ducked his head as the top of the pot came flying at his head, leaving a small dent in the wall behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another idea I never finished... basically red light hyuken haha with jaehwan being the new roommate n ofc falling in luv but sanghyuk doesn't quite want to let go of his lifestyle... and this has been sitting in my drafts for about another 2 years otl


	4. in the light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sanghyuk has always wondered what he is. but life is distracting, until a man with the most hypnotizing grey eyes walks right into it.
> 
> *pg13  
> *nhyuk mutant au

Sanghyuk was eight when he first found out that he could breathe underwater. It was during one of his class’ outings to the swimming pool to teach the kids how to swim and dive. Sanghyuk, ever bright and confident, swore to his teacher that he could hold out the longest with a big toothy grin; and he did. His record was forty seconds when his teacher expectantly looked up from the micro chronometer, only to find that Sanghyuk was nowhere to be seen - at least not above water. After two minutes, a few nervous breakdowns from his teacher and muffled voices that reached his ears, a completely confused Sanghyuk was pulled out from the water by a life guard, eyes wide and innocent as he breathed on without fault. The trip was canceled right away, no matter how much Sanghyuk protested that he was fine, that he could’ve held out longer, only later realising the weird looks his classmates directed at him. 

At thirteen, his life was a prepubescent hell. Not only did the rumours of Sanghyuk’s weird ability to hear and breathe underwater make rounds no matter where he went, growing up in a small village and all; sometimes, he could feel his skin prickle, itch, and he would wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night, finding his skin glimmering faintly in the pale light of the moon. It took up to three weeks until he noticed the little, glittering scales spreading on his skin; they were a mix of grey and green, depending on the light, and Sanghyuk spent hours just staring at his reflection in the mirror, barricading the door to his room when his mother called his name. 

When he turned sixteen, his music class teacher asked the students to come into the class room one by one, singing a line from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the musical to assess their individual talents. Sanghyuk was giddy, because he always had liked singing - granted, he barely did it anywhere but at home, and in the confinement of his room deep in the night when he was sure nobody would listen, but it was still something dear to him, no matter what. When the teacher called his name, a little bewildered look on her face (she must have heard of Sanghyuk’s appearance, but it was always a different thing to see the little glowing scales in person), Sanghyuk almost ran to the class room door. His fingers were shaking with nerves, but he was excited. As the teacher asked him to start, he did, singing his heart out the way he never could in the hushed darkness of his room. Halfway through the song, Sanghyuk noticed that his teacher’s eyes were glazed, that he eyelids fluttered and her body swayed as if in trance; and soon, before he knew, she was asleep, falling forward to the ground, if Sanghyuk wasn’t in time to catch her. He called for the nurse and after a while his teacher woke up, dazzled and confused, only giving Sanghyuk a frightful look as he asked her how she felt. That day, Sanghyuk was banned from music class, as well as prohibited by both his school and his parents to ever sing again.

By the time he was eighteen, Sanghyuk had come to live with- whatever he was. He got used to the creeped out looks and hushed voices wherever he went, he was used to the way people would make sure not to touch him, or the teachers would only ask him to answer questions after they had explicitly ignored his hand coming up five times. He always did his homework, always stayed out of trouble, did anything to fit in. It hurt, the relief on his parents’ faces when he announced that he would leave for the city, go to college and find a job to get through; but they promised everything to help him and to always call if he needed anything, and that was all he needed to hear before he left.

___

 

“Hey, kid, bring me another one of these, will you?”

Sanghyuk looks at the man calling him over the counter of the bar, wiggling an empty glass of scotch between his thick fingers, and Sanghyuk groans on the inside. He likes his job, he tells himself as he refills the glass and plops in another ice ball, and he does - most times. He likes how the room is dim, he likes how everything is busy and hushed, but most of all, he really likes the stages.

Sanghyuk loves listening to the variety of music gigs coming through two times a week. There’s no set genre his boss sticks to, and it’s always a little bit alike to russian roulette each time the lights go out and the stage shines bright; but Sanghyuk relaxes in it, feeling like he’s floating behind the bar and through his shift as he lets the music fill him up.

Today, though, is wednesday, which means no live stage tonight. It’s the time when the venue turns into what it’s supposed to be - a high end club with the chairs and tables stacked away in the storage room, flickering lights and deafening music echoing from the speakers that have even Sanghyuk wince from time to time with the frequency of it all. Business is low, and Sanghyuk is bored as he watches the bodies moving on the dance floor, occasionally filling up a drink or two.

“Having fun?”

The words are whispered into his ear and Sanghyuk almost jumps at them, not having expected anyone being so close. His wide eyes soften, though, when they land on Hongbin’s dimples flashing at him, and he laughs, giving the other a little nudge.

“Now that you’re here, I just might,” he teases, and his heart swells a little at the sight of his coworker, and best friend. 

Hongbin, Sanghyuk first thought, was weird. He met him during his first week of working at the club, introducing himself with a hushed voice and shuffling feet. He was even more surprised when Hongbin’s fingers came up to brush along the shimmering scales of his neck, eyes big and curious, and for some reason he didn’t shy away.

“They’re so pretty,” Hongbin had said that day, and Sanghyuk had blushed. it was the first time anyone had said anything of the sort about his condition, and Sanghyuk didn’t know how to react.

“Business is low tonight,” Hongbin states, eyes traveling over the room. Sanghyuk nods in silence as he follows Hongbin’s lead to eye the crowd; merely a few dozens of people bustling about. Sanghyuk’s eyes fall on a man in one of the corners, his figure tall and slander. He kind of stands out, Sanghyuk thinks; not as much because of his silver hair, flashing occasionally in the flickering stage lights, but more by the way he’s leaning against one of the speakers, still in a moving room as his eyes wander through the crowd. Sanghyuk feels a spark of something in his chest, and he can’t put his finger on it, and then suddenly the man’s eyes are on his, and Sanghyuk snaps his eyes down to the counter in reflex. 

When he dares to look up again, the man is gone, his spot empty as Sanghyuk’s eyes start to flicker through the crowd, searching. There is no silver spot of hair, as much as Sanghyuk looks, and he wonders if he even saw it right. Hongbin nudges him in his side, brown eyes fixing him with a stunned expression.

“Are you alright? Looking for someone?” He asks with a little smirk tugging on the edges of his lips, and it’s enough to throw Sanghyuk off and pull him back into reality. His eyes still dart over the crowd once, fleetingly, and he shakes his head, a small smile spreading on his face.

“No, not really,” he answers, catching sight of a customer waiting to be served on the other side of counter. 

There’s a strange pressure in pit of Sanghyuk’s stomach for the rest of the night, though, and as he moves along the bottles and fills glasses after glasses, the image of those eyes staring back into his flickers along the back of his mind, for one single reason.

They were grey, but when the lights of the dance floor hit the man’s face, they reflected it, like a cat’s.

___

 

Midterm week has always been Sanghyuk’s least favourite week of the year, if he doesn’t count, finals, christmas and the occasional remodelling of the bus lines (that always happen right when he actually needs to be on time for once). Mostly it’s because on those days, Sanghyuk is not allowed to go into work, instead being stuck in his little apartment trying to cram everything he can into his already fuming head. Last semester, Sanghyuk had begged his boss to let him work at least on the nights of the stages, but he had adamantly refused, saying that Sanghyuk ‘needs to do good on tests if he ever wants to get a real job’. Sanghyuk isn’t sure what he wants in the first place, but he knows that being locked up with books for a whole week isn’t it.

Sighing heavily, he buries his head into the pages of the thick volume laying in front of him on his little coffee table; Sanghyuk had never bothered to actually buy a desk, and it’s times like these that he tells himself that maybe he should. It’s late, the sun outside long since having sunken over the rooftops of the city, and Sanghyuk can hear his stomach growl. 

He checks the fridge out of habit, but he knows there’s nothing inside other than the milk Hongbin had brought over the last time they had a movies night, and Sanghyuk doesn’t even want to open the damn thing, even if he weren’t lactose intolerant. God only knows if it might not explode with the time it had to simmer in the back of his fridge.

He figures it’s as good a time as any to get down to the 7/11 at the end of the street, checking the clock hanging on his wall as he sticks his head through one of his turtle necks. 11:42 pm the hands read, and he groans at the thought that he hasn’t left the place in a whole day. He snatches his keys out of the bowl that he keeps next to the door (which is full of silly keychains and colourful lighters, courtesy of Hongbin), and slips into his sneakers before checking himself in the mirror, making sure none of his scales shine out from under his clothes. At least they don’t cover his face and hands, and that’s something, Sanghyuk shrugs at his reflection. 

His cheeks are hit with a fresh cold as he opens the front door of the little apartment building he’s lodged in, setting foot on the dim streets; it’s barely november, but the biting wind is swirling through the city and the clouds are constant and dark, only the dirty light of the few working street lamps illuminating the surroundings. Sanghyuk breathes in deeply, savouring the smell of fresh air in his lungs before he tugs his sleeves over his hands, skipping down along the street.

He greets the old man at the counter when he enters the little shop, the bright lights inside a stark contrast to the barely lit outside, and Sanghyuk has to blink for a second. It’s already routine, pondering through the little alleys of snacks and instant ramen, Sanghyuk quickly picking out his favourites and a carton of orange juice, laying it out on the counter with the old man looking up at him with disapproving eyes.

“You need to eat healthier,” he states, knowing Sanghyuk’s diet on a regular basis; Sanghyuk only grins wide, a chuckle passing his lips.

“And you, gramps, need to get yourself a chair back there - it can’t be good for you to stand all day, think of your back.”

The old man tsks him, and Sanghyuk laughs as he pays. He faintly wonders if the old man would be as friendly with him if he would be able to see the scales on Sanghyuk’s skin, but he pushes the thought away; there’s no point in bitter thoughts at this time of night.

He thanks the old cashier, making him promise to get a chair (‘or I will bring one down myself, gramps’), before heading back out onto the street with a little wave over his shoulder, taking a right to make it back to his apartment.

Sanghyuk takes his time, strolling slowly down the asphalt, taking in the night. Without him meaning to, his thoughts find their way back to the shining eyes looking back at him from the other side of the club; it’s become a constant nudge at the back of his head, something he can’t get out of his mind even when he wants to. There was something about those eyes, Sanghyuk thinks, his feet stopping in the middle of the street, contemplating. He’s thought about telling Hongbin, but something stops him every time he starts - maybe it’s the fact that Sanghyuk feels like he’s not compelled to talk about it; maybe it’s the way his heart starts beating in his chest when he does. He shakes his head, trying to ease the thoughts away, but they still linger, like they always do.

A sudden noise on his left startles him, and his head flashes to the side to find the source. The crescent moon is shining down on the alley, the lamp above having given up, but Sanghyuk doesn’t need any light to see, his eyes sharper than usual in the dark. There’s some movement behind one of the trash cans in the far back, and Sanghyuk stills, a sense of curiosity settling in his stomach. It’s weird, because Sanghyuk isn’t the type to care for anything sinister, even halloween leaves him bored at home (ending up eating all the sweets for the kids himself); but there’s something about this that has adrenaline pump through his veins.

He takes a tentative step forward, not sure what he’s doing in the first place, but he hears the noise again, and this time he thinks he sees shining eyes flicker over the edge of the pile of trash. His heart beats to his ears, and immediately the image of the club comes back to his mind; but he tells him it can’t be, this is stupid.

“Hello?” he tries calling out, feeling more silly than ever, calling into the dark; and as expected, there is no answer at all.

Something springs out from behind the trash cans suddenly, and Sanghyuk startles for a second before his eyes land on a cat, trotting towards him. He releases a breath he doesn’t even know he’s holding, a small chuckle flowing past his lips; he feels foolish, even more so as he looks at the cat, crouching down.

“You scared me, you little thing,” he laughs, extending one of his hands to pet the feline, “I almost thought…” he trails off, the image of the shining eyes still present in his mind. He shakes his head, grinning wider, running his finger along the dark grey fur behind the cat’s ears, marvelling at the soft touch. “Never mind,” he dismisses, before standing back up, head tilting towards the cat.

“You should go home, now,” he says to the animal, getting a cock of the head that makes him chuckle; he’s always liked cats, even though he’s got scratched quite a few times when he was a kid. “I need to study some more.” He waves to the cat, a small smile still on his lips as he turns around and starts down the street, willing the leftover adrenaline from his limbs.

He doesn’t know why, but he feels strangely compelled to look over his shoulder to check if the cat is still there; and when he does, he can see it crouching in the middle of the street with the moonlight hitting it’s now silver fur, shining eyes set on Sanghyuk’s.

Something clicks in the back of his mind, and Sanghyuk can’t say that he gets more studying done for the rest of night.

___

 

“Don’t you sometimes wonder?” Hongbin asks friday night in between mixing drinks and pocketing tips, “About what you are, I mean.”

Sanghyuk just shrugs, pouring the pint of beer with expertise before slipping it over the counter; they’ve been through this a couple of times, Hongbin always more curious than he was, and he can’t say that the question doesn’t bother him.

“Well, it’s not like I can just walk into a hospital and ask,” Sanghyuk replies, taking the next orders, “they would either throw me out or lock me up. I don’t like either of those possibilities.”

Hongbin contemplates what Sanghyuk said, clicking his tongue. “I guess so.” he admits, pouring some lime rum into the mixer, adding some syrup, “I think, just, I don’t know. It’s so cool, don’t you think? Fascinating.”

Sanghyuk simply scoffs, not sure what about him is fascinating at all; all that it led him to is contempt and fear no matter where he goes, as well as an incapability of singing out loud. That doesn’t really seem fascinating in his eyes.

“It is.”

It’s not Hongbin’s voice that answers to his scoffing, and Sanghyuk’s head snaps up at the words. His hands still in the middle of his ministrations, his eyes wide as they take in the lean body and silver hair of the man leaning against the bar’s counter, grey eyes fixed on his. 

Sanghyuk just stares for the longest moment, unsure how to react; now that he sees the eyes from much closer, takes in everything much better, his words are knocked out of his mouth. Hongbin just looks at him weirdly, before turning and smiling at the customer, clearly unaware of the awkward tension around them.

“Would you like to order something?” He asks, eyes curiously moving over the silver hair, and Sanghyuk knows there’s going to be some gossip later on. The man smiles back, eyes never leaving Sanghyuk’s; he can feel his heart beating in his chest.

“You don’t happen to have some absinthe, by any chance?” The voice is low and smooth, alluring in a way Sanghyuk wouldn’t have thought possible. Hongbin’s eyes widen a little, opening his mouth to deny the request, but the young man simply flashes another one of his smiles; Sanghyuk thinks he can see sharp canines in the corners of his mouth as the grin grows wider, but then he blinks and everything is back to normal.

“I’m just kidding. I’ll have an apple martini, please.” He ads fluently, eyes trailing back over to Sanghyuk, a little smugness flickering over his expression. “I’ll wait,” he finishes, gesturing to the seat on the right end of the bar, where the light is scarce, and for some reason Sanghyuk finds himself nodding, as if sealing a promise.

With a reeling mind, he turns back to his order, trying to keep his head on his work; which turns out much harder than he would have thought. His eyes flicker over to the silver haired male constantly, both checking for his presence and trying to assess it, and the feeling of grey eyes settled on him the entire time is unsettling at best. It’s during these little glances that Sanghyuk notices things he wasn’t able to see before - like the way the man’s face was pretty and delicate, his eyes slanted in a way that was almost feline; how his fingers curled themselves elegantly around the stem of his glass, adorned with silver rings; the golden hue of his tanned skin under light of the bar, and the way his dark clothes fit him like they’ve been tailored on his body, looking more like designer brands than the simple shirt and pants Sanghyuk knows they are. It doesn’t help him to keep his focus, not when those deep eyes seem to have more mystery and secrets behind them than Sanghyuk wants to imagine, and it doesn’t take more than two hours until Sanghyuk announces that he’s going to take his break, moving to the right side of the bar with a curious glance from Hongbin.

“What do you want?” he almost whispers when he reaches the other, eyes scanning his face for any sign of threat. He isn’t used to be talked to, much less by strangers he’s never met, and there’s alarm spreading through his body. The man smiles, though to Sanghyuk it looks closer to a smug smirk; he can feel his heart flip a little, but he tries to ignore it. This really wasn’t the time.

“I don’t want anything,” the man answers, a playful glint in his eyes, and Sanghyuk can’t help but scoff.

“You seem like you know something,” he says defiantly, eyes trailing over the other’s appearance. “About me, I mean.” he ads, taking in the way the grey eyes flicker between his, deep and almost pulling him through.

Another smile dances on the man’s lips, this time small and secretive, and Sanghyuk thinks that he’s really had enough of all this mysterious attitude.

“Look,” Sanghyuk says, and this time his voice is hard, “I don’t know what you’re trying to do. But I’m not here for some smalltalk, I really have to work.” And with that Sanghyuk turns around, taking a step back behind the counter of the bar.

He doesn’t get far, though, as he feels long fingers wrap themselves around his wrist, pulling him back into the dim shadow on the other side of the counter; Sanghyuk hisses as he stumbles over his feet, turning around to look at the man with angry eyes. The silver haired male’s orbs are set of Sanghyuk’s wrist, though, where their skins are touching, and Sanghyuk can feel the material of his sleeve being moved up. He struggles to break free, tries to snatch his hand away, but the grip around his wrist is tight and unrelenting. Sanghyuk can see the glimmer of his scales under the dim light of the club, and his fingers start to shake, looking around to make sure that nobody else is looking. He can see the flash of recognition on the other’s face, and he wonders for a moment what is going on.  


“Siren,” he hears the word come from the stranger’s lips in a whisper, his eyes traveling up Sanghyuk’s body before finally boring back into his. Sanghyuk feels exhausted, a sigh passing his lips, and he’s waiting for the disgust, for the fear and jolt of drawing his hand back; but it doesn’t come. Instead, the eyes looking back into his are alight and glimmering with wonder, and Sanghyuk has to look away under the intensity of it all.

Then his arm is dropped, and the man’s smile is back in place as Sanghyuk covers his skin with his sleeve again. He’s confused, doesn’t know how to react, and his whole body is shaking from taking it all in.

“When do you get off work?” The question is simple, but Sanghyuk can feel the weighing meaning in the words, and his heart starts beating in his chest again.

“3 am.” he answers flatly, biting his lips as he takes in the contemplating expression on the other’s face. He doesn’t know why, but he feels like he is gravitating towards the man, his intrigued thoughts dizzying his mind with too much to handle all at once. 

The man nods, giving him a small smile before turning from the counter and disappearing into the crowd, sending one last look back over his shoulder, eyes flashing in the light. Sanghyuk feels a heavy pressure washing over him, and he feels dizzy, putting one of his hands on the counter for support as he turns back towards Hongbin with a weak smile.

But the word resonating in his ears for the rest of his shift doesn’t leave him alone; it sounds vague, but he can feel the familiarity of it as it rolls from his tongue in silence. 

Siren.

Maybe, just maybe, tonight might give him more than he thought it would in the first place. 

___

 

When his shift ends, Sanghyuk is fast to go out the back door to get some fresh air. His mind is still swimming with possibilities, unsure of what to expect of what’s to come. The night air is cool, a low breeze gushing through the back alley; the moon shines, fuller this time, illuminating the walls and the streets in a silver colour.

Silver.

Sanghyuk doesn’t even need to remember the weird conversation he’s had just a couple of hours before; it’s still present in his mind as if it had been mere minutes, though his confusion has gotten thicker as time ticked by. Something about that man pulls him in, like there is a mutual understanding between them, and he wonders what it results from. A tiny thought flickers in the back of his mind, ‘maybe he’s like me’, but he shoos it away, not wanting to hope.

“There you are.”

Sanghyuk startles from his place leaning against the brick wall of the club, eyes immediately settling on the man before him. He didn’t even hear him approach, and that’s something somewhat unsettling considering how good his ears usually are. The male chuckles, deep and warm, and Sanghyuk feels something flip in his stomach.

“You’re easily scared, aren’t you?” he muses as his bright grey eyes look Sanghyuk up and down, trailing over his legs and up his chest. Sanghyuk feels oddly exposed, and he clears his throat in an attempt to regain composure. There’s something about that gaze that has Sanghyuk’s cheek blush and his heart drum in his chest, but he dismisses it; there are things far more important at hand.

“In the club you- you said-“ he stops, unsure of how to phrase it. He doesn’t know what the word implies, and his eyes flicker over the man’s grey ones, insecurity shining through. “You said I was… you said the word… ‘siren’.”

There’s a flash of amusement in those grey eyes as they look back into his own ones, and Sanghyuk wonders why. Something in the back of his mind tells him that it must seem weird that he doesn’t even know what he is; he feels retaliation at the thought - it’s not like he’s ever had someone to tell him, in the first place. The other must feel his discontentment, because there’s a warm smile spreading on his lips that has Sanghyuk feel slightly dizzy.

“I did.” His voice is soft now, and Sanghyuk wonders why. “But I’d rather not tell you here.” the other says, gesturing around the dark shadows of the back alley. It’s getting cold, even Sanghyuk can feel it, shivering in the pale light of the moon. He nods a little reluctantly, running one of his hands up his arm to warm himself, if only a little.

“Where, then?” Sanghyuk asks, both curious and weary, and there’s a little twinkle in those deep, grey eyes, a smug smile tugging on the stranger’s lips.

“Follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically a mutant au I wrote about one year and a half ago... and i really really wish i could've finished it. but as it looks it's not going to happen... ;;


	5. come on closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sanghyuk’s working at a bakery and he really can’t help but remember a certain customer’s order right.
> 
> *pg  
> *taekhyuk bakery au

It’s a cool thursday morning, the first time Sanghyuk meets Taekwoon — he can tell by the rush of cold air that flows in when the door opens. It makes his arms chill up, the goosebumps rising and his teeth almost clattering, but then the cold is gone and it’s warm again behind the counter Sanghyuk tries not to fall asleep at. He’s not good with morning shifts, waking up at five am just to be able to make it to the bakery at six thirty. But the freshly brewed coffee from Hakyeon and the barely out of the oven croissants Jaehwan shoves into his mouth are enough to keep him awake for most part of the morning.

Today it was hard, though, because Sanghyuk has been up studying all night. Midterms are almost around the corner, and he really can’t work out another barely passing grade. It’s with that in his mind that he stands behind the counter trying hard not to yawn, not fully aware that the customer that came into the shop has been waiting for Sanghyuk to serve him for the past five minutes.

“Uhm, could I order?”

It’s the soft voice that bring Sanghyuk out of his reverie, and it’s the pretty flushed color of still cold cheeks that keep him staring just a little longer than he had anticipated.

“Uhh, of course! What can I help you with today?” He says with cheeks almost as pink as his ears flush at the embarrassment, and he takes note to pack the customer’s order with utter care.

“I’ll take two chocolate croissants and two pear tartelettes, please,” comes the reply. Sanghyuk glances at the customer; he’s tall, his black hair growing long and falling into his eyes. His scarf is wound up and around his nose, obstructing his lower face from view, and Sanghyuk thinks he looks somewhat shivery. He makes sure to take the still warm croissants, hoping it might warm the customer up.

“For take out?” he gets a curt nod, “do you want me to pack them separately?”

“No, it’s just for one please.”

It surprises Sanghyuk a little, four pastries for breakfast for only one person? But he still does as he’s told, and when he hands the food over the counter and gets the exactly counted money for it in return, he can’t help but smile. He notices a little crinkle in the customer’s eyes, but when he tries to look he’s turned away, and once again the cold air of an early January morning envelops Sanghyuk as he walks out the door.

He can’t put his finger on it, but something about that customer has made Sanghyuk just a little happier for today. And, more importantly, a lot less sleepy.

***

By the time of his next shift two days later, Sanghyuk wonders if the particular customer has been there the day he wasn’t working. He tries to ask Hakyeon about it who seems a little confused, but he doesn’t get anything — apart from a very bemused look from both Jaehwan and Hakyeon when he huffs and turns around to the counter.

“Is he your crush?” comes through the little window to the kitchen, and Sanghyuk’s ears color just slightly at the curiosity in Jaehwan’s voice. He rolls his eyes before turning back around to give him a look, one that makes Hakyeon choke on his coffee with his snickering.

“No, he just had an unusual order the last time, so I was curious,” he defends, something he knows isn’t particularly smart to do — especially with someone like Jaehwan.

“Unusual, ey? Sounds like you’ve got an eye on him to me. Are you sure that it was his order that was unusual and not just his face?”

Sanghyuk tries not to groan, and thankfully a customer comes up two seconds later that allows him to bring his attention to his work instead of Jaehwan.

“Sounds to me like he’s found someone interesting,” he hears Jaehwan lowly talking to Hakyeon behind his back, and Sanghyuk tries hard to keep his smile intact as he processes the customer’s order. “What do you think?”

There’s a small pause on Hakyeon’s side before he answer. “He needs some fun. Interesting sounds pretty good.”

Sanghyuk turns around and gives them both a look. “One Cafe Mocha and one Americano please,” he tells Hakyeon with a barely subsiding growl, “and another tray of ‘mind your own goddamn business’.”

Hakyeon raises one eyebrow as Sanghyuk shuts the window, and Jaehwan looks at him with the biggest grin on his face.

 

“Looks like it’s hit him pretty bad, huh?” he chuckles, “and he doesn’t even know if the guy is a regular or not.”

Hakyeon nods, turning around to prepare the customer’s coffees. “He’ll find out soon enough.”

***

The next thursday, Sanghyuk’s on the morning shift again. He doesn’t know if it’s fate or a very mean trick of it, but he’s slept even less than the last time, truth be told. Nothing can wake him up, not the steaming pot of coffee Hakyeon puts down in front of his nose nor Jaehwan’s deliciously smelling croissant, which Sanghyuk notices he’s been trying to shape like a wildly inconspicuous heart. He take a bite of it, mostly to make it look less like what it’s supposed to be — and tries sending a glare towards Jaehwan that turns out a lot less threatening as it’s cut off by a yawn.

“Why do I have to come here this early, I never do anything,” Sanghyuk mumbles as he tries to sweep the floor with moving as little as possible it doesn’t go unnoticed by Hakyeon, who’s taking the mop out of his hands in the blink of an eye.

“Because you signed up for it, remember? We asked you which shifts you’d prefer, you could’ve chosen the afternoon shift too.” His voice isn’t reproachful, rather amused; Sanghyuk wonders if Hakyeon is ever anything but amused. Maybe, but maybe Sanghyuk is also far too air headed to notice in the first place.

“Blasphemy. Doesn’t sound like me at a—a—“ another big yawn escapes him mid-sentence, and he doesn’t even have time to cover his mouth with his hands. Hakyeon sends him a look, and that’s when Sanghyuk notices he’s — still — amused.

“If you aren’t able to sweep the floors, go bring in the stacks of flour and milk from the delivery truck outside,” Hakyeon says as he shushes Sanghyuk out the back door with little taps on his butt, something that makes Sanghyuk just a little less sleepy. “Don’t drop anything!”

Sanghyuk doesn’t even know how he makes it through the morning. When he looks at the clock hanging behind him, he notices it’s already almost twelve. Sure enough business picks up during lunch time, and it wakes him enough to be able to handle it all without tripping over things or spilling the coffee. He feels almost awake, and it’s when his mind is a little less foggy that he remembers the customer from last week, and he can’t help the curiosity that kicks in.

He keeps his eyes open, looking everyone he serves in the eye in an attempt to see if he might be coming again; a hope that starts failing as another hour passes, and the hands of the clock above him start ticking further and further towards the end of his shift.

At twenty to two the door opens with a jingle, the flow of customers having died down some minutes ago. Sanghyuk doesn’t really bother looking up, the cool flow of the air outside making him shiver as per usual — he should really think about getting a cardigan or something to put on during the winter, even inside.

It’s only when the customer comes to a stop in front of the counter that Sanghyuk looks up, and he’s immediately taken aback by the familiar scarf swung around his face and the eyes, that Sanghyuk only now fully realizes are quite intense. His heart is thumping in his chest from the sudden realization, and it makes his fingers just a little more jittery than they usually are as he tries to bring out a smile.

“How may I help you today?” he asks, and he can hear the slight tremor in his voice — he desperately hopes that the customer doesn’t.

“I’ll have two croissants and—“

“— and two pear tartelettes? For take out, right?” Sanghyuk says quickly, and a weird feeling of pride settles into his stomach as the customer looks at him a little surprised, eyes widened as he nods.

“Yeah,” he says slowly, watching Sanghyuk continuously as he packs his pastries; it makes Sanghyuk a little self-conscious, but he tries to shake it off.

“Here you go!” he says with another smile as he hands the man his food, and receives yet again the exact counted number of coins. “Have a good day!”

He gets a nod in response, the lingering of one last glance; and then he’s gone again, the cold air rushing through the room with the swing of the door, and Sanghyuk wonders how stupid he must be to contemplate about love at first sight.

***

When he’s become used to looking forward to thursday morning shifts, he doesn’t know. It might have happened some time between Jaehwan and Hakyeon’s pointed glances and the fluttering of his heart after another thursday encounter with the “mysterious customer” as Hakyeon and Jaehwan like to call him. Mostly it’s because, after four weeks, Sanghyuk still hasn’t been able to fully see his face, always hidden behind the dark scarf slung around his neck.

“Maybe he’s hiding a crooked nose,” Jaehwan offers with little snickers as he kneads the dough. Hakyeon’s eyebrows lift in amusement, and Sanghyuk just painstakingly rolls his eyes.

“Really, hyung? That’s lame.”

“Or maybe he has really bad acne on his lower face,” Hakyeon thinks aloud, giving Sanghyuk a pitying look. “Maybe he’s actually a girl.”

Sanghyuk gives him an exasperated look, but the thought still nestles itself into his brain. The customer’s voice was pretty high, maybe…? Sanghyuk shakes his head.

“You two need to rethink your priorities,” Sanghyuk says dryly before he walks back out into the cafe with a tray full of hot, deliciously smelling apple pies.

“We have priorities, it just so happens that your love life is pretty high up on the list,” Jaehwan says with a wide grin, and there’s a smile just as wide on Hakyeon’s lips, too.

Sanghyuk pretends he doesn’t hear them, instead focusing his attention on cleaning the counter.

When thursday rolls around again, he’s giddy. It’s weird, because usually Sanghyuk is barely able to walk straight in the mornings, barely able to put his mug of coffee up to his lips. And here he is, taking the broom out of Hakyeon’s hand to do the mopping himself, helping Jaehwan carrying the stacks of flower and milk into the kitchen with ease — he’s even a little sullen when there’s nothing left to do for them but to open the shop in thirty minutes. Jaehwan only gives him a meaningful look, but Sanghyuk doesn’t care.

“Sanghyukie, can you help me with this?” Comes Hakyeon’s call from the front of the bakery, and when Sanghyuk rounds up through the back door to the front, he sees the other struggling with the lock. It’s not that cold in the mornings anymore, slowly inching up to march, and Sanghyuk doesn’t bother to put on his jacket, simply pulling his nose into his scarf.

“What’s the matter, hyung?” Sanghyuk asks as he walks closer, eyeing the lock and the keys with a wary eye.

“It’s stuck, I can’t seem to be able to move it,” Hakyeon sighs, glancing at his watch. “It’s two minutes before opening time, too. We need to get this working.”

Sanghyuk takes the keys from Hakyeon’s hands gently before trying to move them. It’s hard, even for him, to make them budge at all. He shakes his head, wriggling his fingers to ease the pressure on them from the force put into the hold.

“Did something happen with the keys?” he asks Hakyeon, who’s worrying at his bottom lips, eyebrows drawn together in thought.

“I— I don’t think so. Unless Jaehwan…” Hakyeon starts, and suddenly his face contorts a little in disapproval. “He came home a little tipsy last night being out with friends, and he took a while at the door. Maybe he tried to force the wrong key into the lock…”

Sanghyuk presses his lips together, trying to open the lock again, with more force this time — but still no success.

“I guess we should call the locksmith,” he mutters and he can see Hakyeon pressing his lips into a thin line before letting out a deep sigh.

“I guess so.” he says and turns around, fishing his phone out of his pocket. Sanghyuk sees him dial a number, but before he can press the call button, there’s a soft voice speaking behind their backs.

“Is everything okay?”

Sanghyuk turns around; he knows the sound of the voice, and he notices the glance Hakyeon sends in his direction, causing his cheeks to tint slightly pink. It’s the fresh air, he tells himself, but there’s warmth spreading through his body at the sight of the man before them.

His scarf is draped around his neck as usual, but his hair is a little more disheveled than it was the last few times. It’s cute, and Sanghyuk notices the pink biting at the man’s cheeks from the walk in the morning air, still crisp and cool enough to tint skin.

“Our lock seems broken,” Hakyeon says swiftly, eyeing the man up and down with a little smile, “I don’t suppose you know how to fix this, do you?”

The customer shakes his head, much to Sanghyuk’s disappointment, but then there’s a hand extended towards Sanghyuk. He doesn’t quite understand, looking at the hand in confusion before glancing back up at its owner, brows furrowing.

“Lend me the keys,” he says softly, that tone that makes Sanghyuk feel like he’s melting inside, and without another word he lets them drop into the long fingers waiting in front of him. Sanghyuk watches as the man inspects the key and the lock, his brows furrowing a little on concentration — he’s paying too much attention to the way the scarf lifts a little from his face, giving Sanghyuk the sight of soft features, and it causes him to blatantly stare without realizing.

“Hrrm-hrrm,” Hakyeon clears his throat, and it makes Sanghyuk snap his head up so quick it feels like he might have contorted a muscle. Hakyeon gives him a look that makes Sanghyuk blush, a full on blush and his face heating up a couple of hundred degrees; Sanghyuk feels silly and very, very foolish.

Sanghyuk is just about to stroll back inside, leave his beating heart and his embarrassment out here on the street so Jaehwan doesn’t see; but then he hears a little cheer and the click of the lock, loud despite the rushing by cars and city sounds.

“Oh my God,” Hakyeon mumbles with his eyes wide and lips open just a little in disbelief, “you’ve done it!” He approaches the door, checking the lock and the keys now dangling from it with a cheerful ‘cling-ling’.

The customer looks pleased but embarrassed, Sanghyuk notices when Hakyeon almost throws himself at him with string of thank you’s and a hug that even Sanghyuk finds a little overbearing; he clearly doesn’t quite know where to put his hands or what to think, sending Sanghyuk a slightly terrified glance.

“Okay, Hakyeon-hyung, this is enough,” Sanghyuk coughs then, much to the relief of their customer, pulling Hakyeon back and pushing him to open the door. “We need to open unless you want to make our customers wait.”

Hakyeon nods, the grin radiant on his lips as he opens the door and flips the ‘closed’ sign around. Sanghyuk follows, but not without a glance around to the man. He can see his full features now, soft and elegant in a way Sanghyuk isn’t sure he’s seen before, and he really tries not to stare. Their eyes meet for a moment, but Sanghyuk is fast to turn around and go inside, cheeks warm again.

“Jaehwanie!” Hakyeon calls, leaning on the counter with his fingers drumming on it excitedly. It doesn’t take long for Jaehwan to barge through the door to the kitchen, eyes curious.

“What took you so long?” he asks, and then his eyes fall on Sanghyuk who’s standing awkwardly on the side and the customer who’s fumbling with his fingers, unsure of where to look. His eyebrows raise in question, and he looks at Hakyeon expectantly.

“Well, the lock wouldn’t open, because apparently you ruined the key last night,” Hakyeon starts, giving Jaehwan a stern look to which the latter ducks his head a little, “but then, uh—“ Hakyeon looks at the customer in a silent question.

“Taekwoon,” the man mumbles softly, eyes barely picking up from the floor to glance at Jaehwan.

“—Taekwoon here, well, I don’t know what he did but he managed to open it.” Hakyeon finishes happily. He looks at Sanghyuk with a grin before he turns to Jaehwan again. “Are you done with the croissants yet?”

“Just finished them, they’re still warm.” Jaehwan replies with curiosity shining in his eyes and that shit eating grin on his face that’s directed straight at Sanghyuk. There’s a wriggle in his eyebrows and Sanghyuk really wishes they would just leave. Or that he could leave. Whichever one.

“Good. Please give Taekwoon a couple, as a thank you!” Taekwoon looks up at the mention of his name, opening his mouth in an attempt to protest. “No, really, and Sanghyuk can make you whichever coffee you want. You’ve saved us the trouble to call a locksmith, it’s the least we can do!” With a smile Hakyeon moves towards the kitchen, following after Jaehwan; it leaves Sanghyuk and Taekwoon alone in the front part of the bakery, awkward silence hanging in the air, none of them daring to look up.

“Uh,” Sanghyuk starts, because he’s still working and Taekwoon probably wants a coffee, “what shall I make you?” he asks as he walks behind the counter; he tries a little smile, despite feeling like his entire insides are playing trampoline, and the shy look Taekwoon gives him doesn’t really help his cause.

“Mocha Latte, please,” he says, and Sanghyuk tries hard not to think about how cute he sounds when he’s embarrassed. He really needs to get a grip.

Sanghyuk starts on the drink, consciously trying to turn himself as much away from Taekwoon in an attempt not to get distracted. It’s hard, though, when Taekwoon is looking at him work, taking a couple of steps closer to the counter look over his shoulders at the way Sanghyuk is handling the cups and pots.

“You seem really good at that,” Sanghyuk hears when he’s pouring the drink, hand jerking just a little so the leaf latte art he was just doing turns into something slightly closer to a heart. Shit.

“Oh. Uh,” he starts as he turns around to give Taekwoon his coffee, noticing how his eyes immediately wander to it and — did they widen a little at the sight of the very, very unlucky heart-leaf? Sanghyuk really hopes not. “My big sister is a barista, and I’ve had a couple of lessons from her. It’s fun.” he says with a soft shrug and Taekwoon only nods, long fingers taking his drink and bringing it up to his lips with a small smile and a glance at Sanghyuk’s eyes.

“Thank you,” Taekwoon says, and Sanghyuk is confused for just a moment; but then the door of the kitchen open with a little creak and he’s thankful that Hakyeon chooses right this moment to bring out a huge tray of warm croissants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so basically it becomes routine fr them n ofc they fall in luv eventually and everything is good and happy ;;; sobs i am so sad i have not finished any of these i feel absolutely fail ;;


	6. panacea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the first time taekwoon feels like something is not entirely right about him is when he’s four.
> 
> *neo mutant au

One day when he is four, Taekwoon starts thinking that something about him could be weird. It’s a common Thursday at kindergarten, and he’s sitting in a corner playing with the little tractor toy he’s always liked best. Taekwoon isn’t really the type of kid to pay attention to what goes on around him while he plays, instead being completely immersed into his game, not caring if he’s the only one to play it.

He doesn’t notice Jaehwan eyeing the toy from the other side of the room, and he’s a little surprised when the other boy stands before him, eyes demanding; Taekwoon interrupts his game and looks up at him, confused.

“I want to play with that now,” Jaehwan says, pointing at the tractor in Taekwoon’s right hand; his voice is strong but low enough so their caretaker doesn’t hear, and Taekwoon’s eyes flicker over to him before they go back to Jaehwan, lips unmoving. He simply clutches the toy a little harder, the knuckles of his little fingers almost turning white, and his eyes cast down in an attempt to get around the confrontation.

“Give it to me,” Jaehwan says and grabs after the tractor; but Taekwoon is fast to pull it out of reach and behind his back in defiance. He’s shy, but he also dislikes being forced, and his dark eyes glimmer up at Jaehwan with annoyance.

“I’m playing with this,” he says softly, and he curses his voice for not being more firm; Jaehwan simply laughs at him, and Taekwoon’s cheeks grow pink with anger and embarrassment.

“Not anymore,” Jaehwan says with impatience brimming in his voice, and he makes to grab for Taekwoon’s arm wound behind his back.

Taekwoon feels Jaehwan’s hand on his wrist, and there’s a hot, brooding feeling of anger flashing through him at as he tries to move away. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears, his vision seeming to turn red for the flash of a second; before he knows what’s happening, Jaehwan is crying, holding his hand that had just closed around Taekwoon’s skin.

Everything is a blur after that, the reprimanding of the caretaker barely audible to his ears as he takes in the way Jaehwan’s palm looks bright red and burned, little blisters forming here and there on his skin. It’s no use telling everyone that he didn’t do it, that he doesn’t know what just happened; not when Jaehwan’s pointing at him, holding up his hurting hand for everyone to see.

“He didn’t do it!”

Taekwoon turns around at the voice, and Jaehwan stops his crying for a moment to look at Hakyeon standing next to them with his eyes honest and his hands fists on his sides. Taekwoon’s eyes widen a little, surprised by the defence, and he takes in Hakyeon’s glimmering eyes as he stands before him in a protective manner.

“He didn’t touch Jaehwan. Jaehwan tried to take the toy from him.” Hakyeon says, calmly but with a sincerity that has Taekwoon speechless. Jaehwan tries to protest, holding his burnt hand up a few inches in front of Hakyeon’s face as proof, but Hakyeon stays adamant.

“He didn’t do anything.”

Taekwoon is both grateful and embarrassed at the defence, and he lets his head hang, eyes fixed on the floor. He knows Hakyeon is right — he didn’t do anything, nothing at all. Yet Jaehwan’s hand tells another story, one that he can’t explain even if asked, because he doesn’t understand it; Jaehwan was fine the second before.

Taekwoon doesn’t get the chance to thank Hakyeon as he’s taken to the owner of the kindergarten to call in his parents; but when he looks over his shoulder as he trots after their caretaker, Hakyeon gives him a small, encouraging smile, and Taekwoon can’t help but feel a little better about everything.

When he gets home after his parents come to get him, he’s quiet and sullen again, mulling over the happenings of the day that he doesn’t understand. It scares him, more than he’d say, and once he’s up inside his room he looks at the skin on his hands with care, trying to find any explanation that seems likely enough. He doesn’t, though, even after scanning his hands and arms over and over, and he isn’t sure if it was all just some weird trick.

The only thing out of the ordinary he is feeling is the lingering warmth tingling through his veins, prickling under his skin, and he is quite sure that he didn’t feel that before that day.

—

From the next day on, Hakyeon sticks to Taekwoon like glue. He follows him wherever Taekwoon goes, sitting next to him at lunch and during art time, going as far as to wait for him in front of the bathroom only to make sure he’s washing his hands right after he’s done. Taekwoon is silently confused, unsure what to make of the sudden attention he isn’t entirely used to getting from another kid. At first he thinks it’s all a prank, something to get him to reveal what really happened the day before with Jaehwan; but Hakyeon doesn’t pry, and he doesn’t look at him weirdly, either.

“Jaehwan isn’t really mean, he just likes a prank from time to time,” is the only thing Taekwoon hears Hakyeon say on the matter, and it calms down the unspoken worries in Taekwoon’s mind a little bit.

He simply nods, taking in Hakyeon’s presence quietly as Hakyeon chats on about this and that relentlessly; Taekwoon thinks it a little distracting from time to time, but he keeps silent, not wanting to drive him away. Hakyeon doesn’t seem to mind — on the contrary, sometimes the chatter stops, and Taekwoon sees him observing him with a little smile and shining eyes; then Taekwoon feels self-conscious, and drops his gaze for the rest of the hour, which makes Hakyeon laugh softly.

“I’ll see you on Monday?” Hakyeon asks with a bright smile when it’s time to go home, his mother waiting patiently at the door for Hakyeon to end his conversation. Taekwoon feels his heart jump; he didn’t think that Hakyeon’s interest would stay with him longer than the day in the first place.

He nods shyly, eyes cast down, but when he ventures to look up again, Hakyeon’s smile is even wider. He chimes a ‘goodbye’ before he turns around to run to his mother, but he waves back again at Taekwoon as he leaves through the door.

Taekwoon doesn’t wave back, rooted on the spot and watching the door with a little warm churn in his stomach until his parents arrive to take him home. When he sits on the side of his bed, thinking about the way Hakyeon kept with him all day, there’s a small smile tugging at his lips that even the incident with Jaehwan can’t bug away.

And Taekwoon thinks that maybe, finally, he’s found a friend.

—

The first time Hakyeon invites Taekwoon to his house is a couple of months later, when Taekwoon has started to become used to Hakyeon being everywhere he goes. The change is subtle at first, only noticeable in the way Taekwoon doesn’t look down anymore whenever Hakyeon gives him too much attention, but instead holds his gaze; or in the way he would sometimes reply, soft and low. The first time he did, Hakyeon was talking about how he liked sunny weather better than rain because you could go outside and build things in the sand box; Taekwoon smiled a little, barely a notion on the edge of his lips, and replied that he didn’t mind either, both having good and bad sides. Hakyeon’s eyes gleamed with surprise, but soon a smile was widening on his lips. Since then, weeks passed, and slowly Taekwoon was becoming less shy around Hakyeon.

Most of the time, Hakyeon doesn’t really wait to hear Taekwoon’s answer, though, instinctively knowing what the other is going to say.

“Do you want to come over tomorrow afternoon?” Hakyeon asks Taekwoon as they’re drawing a zoo together on one big sheet of paper. Taekwoon looks up in surprise, opening his mouth before closing it again quietly. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, not at all; he’s never been at a friend’s house before, and the idea both excites and scares him a little.

Hakyeon shoots him a glance before smiling, nodding to himself in thought as he talks out loud.

“Good! I’ll tell daddy that tomorrow he’s picking us both up. You should tell your parents, too, so they know where you are!”

Taekwoon nods in silence, unsure how to react, but his stomach is flipping with excitement; Hakyeon notices the little smile illuminating Taekwoon’s face, and he shoots him a big grin.

“It’ll be really fun!”

Taekwoon nods again, eyes glistening with happiness as he turns back to drawing the mane of the lion in its cage, hoping on the inside that his parents wouldn’t oppose.

His parents don’t see any problems with it, rather delighted that Taekwoon has found a friend; during the evening, they keep asking him things about Hakyeon that Taekwoon only reluctantly answers. He doesn’t really know what to say; it’s not that he doesn’t know enough about Hakyeon with the way the other always talks about everything. It’s rather that Taekwoon suddenly feels defiant, like he’s trying to protect something precious from the curious glances of others. It’s still wondrous for him, the new friendship with Hakyeon, and he feels like he wants to keep it to himself.

Hakyeon’s dad greets him warmly when he picks them up the next day; he’s tall, almost as tall as Taekwoon’s dad. His smile is warm and gentle, and Taekwoon knows instantly who Hakyeon has his soft smile from. Taekwoon doesn’t reply, only attempts a shy little smile as a greeting, and he’s relieved to see that Hakyeon’s dad doesn’t seem to mind; on the contrary, he ruffles Taekwoon’s hair in a friendly manner, and Hakyeon beams at Taekwoon as he trots after him over to their car.

On the ride to Hakyeon’s house, Taekwoon keeps his gaze locked out of the window, eyes lingering on street names and trying to focus on the number of turns. When Hakyeon asks him why he keeps looking outside, Taekwoon answers softly that he wants to know if they live close together; the smile that spreads over Hakyeon’s lips at his words has him fall silent again, slightly embarrassed.

Hakyeon’s house is nice; it looks big to Taekwoon, but the windows are bright and welcoming, and he notices how little ornaments are placed here and there along the pathway. He saw a patchwork wood elephant, a couple of iron sculptures here and there in between the plants.

“I’ve made that one myself!” Hakyeon exclaims as they pass the elephant, and Taekwoon looks at him with his eyebrows drawn up in disbelief.

“Well, my dad helped me,” he admits, but the proud smile doesn’t vanish from his lips. Taekwoon chuckles under his breath, eyes lingering on the little wooden animal. He remembers that one time Hakyeon had built quite the castle at the day care with three boxes of lego, and he thinks that Hakyeon seems to have a talent for these kinds of things. He follows Hakyeon and his dad up the stairs and into the house, eyes wide and taking in everything he sets them on.

The entrance is nice, simple but everything looks cozy to Taekwoon; the interior is bright and warm, and he thinks it fits Hakyeon quite well. Just when Taekwoon is slipping out of his shoes, Hakyeon’s mother comes around the corner to greet her son and his friend, and Taekwoon immediately knows why Hakyeon talks so much.

“Oh, welcome home Hakyeonnie! Is this your friend? He looks so cute! Hi, Taekwoonie!” she says with a warm smile, and for some reason Taekwoon instantly feels comfortable in her presence.

“Your sister is out, but I am sure you’ll have lots of fun even without her, right?” she smiles at Hakyeon, who answers that he wants to show Taekwoon his room anyway. Hakyeon then turns to Taekwoon with curious eyes.

“Do you have siblings?” he asks. Taekwoon is a little distracted by the new environment to answer right away; Hakyeon simply takes him by the wrist, pulling him up the stairs to show him his room.

Taekwoon follows Hakyeon into his room in silence, curiosity filling his veins. He wonders what kind of room someone like Hakyeon has, and when he walks through the door that has Hakyeon’s name spelled with letters of different colours over it, he is somewhat surprised at the sight.

Hakyeon’s room is simple, very well organised and tidy; Taekwoon wonders how Hakyeon manages to leave no stray toy on the floor, or bunched up somewhere in a corner. He marvels at the shelves packed with books and toys, all neatly arranged, trails his eyes over the perfectly made bed. Taekwon silently thinks that maybe Hakyeon’s parents clean up for him, and a short tinge of envy gnaws at his stomach. But then he thinks that it’s also a little bit boring, all tidy and clean, and he doesn’t dare touch anything. Then he remembers Hakyeon’s questions.

“I have two older sisters,” Taekwoon mumbles as he looks at Hakyeon turning around to gauge Taekwoon’s reaction. Hakyeon smiles at the information, and there’s a feeling of connection settling in Taekwoon’s stomach as he thinks that Hakyeon has a bigger sister, too. It makes Taekwoon feel even more comfortable around him, and he notices that he doesn’t find it hard to trust Hakyeon.

“Great!” Hakyeon says, and there’s curiosity flashing through his eyes, “how are they?”

Taekwoon shrugs a little, unsure of what to say; his sisters are normal, nice but liked babying him a lot, but then again, don’t big siblings always do that? Instead Taekwoon’s eyes wander back around Hakyeon’s room.

“Normal, I guess. Your room is… clean.” Taekwoon says softly, eyes landing back on Hakyeon. The latter looks around, laughing a little.

“I guess. I usually clean up everything just a little, but mommy always puts everything back where it was.”

So I was right, Taekwoon thinks as he eyes the shelves, and for some reason he suddenly feels much better. He walks over to put his bag on Hakyeon’s bed, sitting down on the edge of it.

“What do you want to play?” Hakyeon asks then, and Taekwoon’s eyes sparkle as Hakyeon opens one of the boxes in the right corner of the room, full with legos and racing cars.

Taekwoon doesn’t see the time fly as he assembles castles and towers with Hakyeon on the floor of his room, completely forgets everything around them as they play; when there’s a knock on the door and Hakyeon’s mother comes in to signal that it’s time for Taekwoon to go home, he feels his stomach sink. Sure enough, when he comes down the stairs, his own mother is waiting by the door with a smile, and he turns around to Hakyeon, lips into a pout. He feels just a little better that Hakyeon seems as reluctant to let him go as Taekwoon is to leave. Taekwoon’s eyes don’t turn away from looking back at Hakyeon and his parents as he leaves with his mother, only casting his gaze down long after they’ve driven out onto the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so basically it would've turned out that hakyeon is a mutant too, and that he has the ability to control taekwoon's fire, so they start a codependant relationship when they go into adulthood. but ofc i never finished this hahaha haha ;;;;;


	7. dust on paper pages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> taekwoon stumbles into the old antiquary bookshop only to flee from the rain, but to his surprise, he ends up summoning a fairy out of the pages of an old little book.
> 
> *pg  
> *neo fairy au

His drenched coat clung to his skin as he strode through the dark streets, legs moving as fast as they could under the sky’s downpour. Taekwoon wasn’t entirely sure where his feet took him, only being able to register the turns now and then with his eyes shielded, hood pulled so far down over his head that only the tip of his nose poked out. He figured this was all his fault for trusting the overly joyous weatherman and his prognosis of “light drizzling rain in the afternoon”, and he made a mental note for the future to start taking an umbrella no matter how the forecast turned out to be.

He stopped abruptly when he was met with a door, and realising the heavy drops weren’t running through his already soaked parker any longer, he looked up only to find the ledge of a wall over him. His eyes casted down, and only now his eyes registered the dirty glass door in front of him fully.

It looked peculiar. It was old and shabby, the woven characters once undoubtedly spelling out the shop’s name invitingly. But all that was left now of the lettering formed the broken words “t old bo k tic”, and Taekwoon wasn’t entirely sure what to form it into. He peeked past the letters and into the shop, eyes traveling over bookshelves so full that he couldn’t make out their contents at once. When his eyes adjusted a little more, they widened at the blurry sight. The shop was full of all kinds of volumes and novels, some barely taller than two inches, other wide and heavy. Their quantity was so enormous that the racks didn’t seem to be enough to keep every one of them in; some were piled up next to the wood in towers as tall as Taekwoon himself; others, he noticed, had been neatly buried into chests and wooden boxes, still looking like they were quelling out of them in need of space. The shelves seemed to stand proud and patient, carrying their old looking load with grace even though Taekwoon could make out the thin layer of dust hanging over the entirety of the place even through the smudged glass door. The sight of the shop both captured and disturbed him; why, he couldn’t tell. But there was a strange magnetism coming from the books, and he was curious to look at their leather bound backs, to run his eyes over the golden letters spelling out titles and authors’ names with ancient meanings. Taekwoon felt a weird pull in his stomach; and before he knew it, his hand had already grasped the flaking gold handle and pulled at the door, opening it with the sweet chime of the bell hanging in it’s wake announcing a new customer.

The air inside was dry and musty, smelling of old paper and dust, and for a second Taekwoon had to blink to keep his eyes from tearing up in the sudden change of atmosphere. It was silent, after the bell rang out, so silent that Taekwoon felt like he was the only living person in the entire store. He felt small in between the ceiling high shelves and the huge amount of books around him; it felt like he had been catapulted into another world entirely, only lit by a dim light coming from two still working hands of an old chandelier, one of the lights flickering in and out of service every twenty seconds. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be calling out for the shopkeeper. When his eyes landed on the counter he realised that there was no bell, only a silvern plate with the label “The Book Attic” written in spaced letters - no way of announcing his presence but for his voice. He suddenly felt shy and out of place, even more so than before, his surroundings sinking in on him faster than the cold and wet of the rain. 

Silently, he made his way forward with shy steps, eyes raking over the covers of the book lined up all around him. He wasn’t sure where he was supposed to look first - at the big volumes with the deep dark letter, or at the smaller ones with their hard cased spines, golden characters weaving together enchanting words. Some looked rather like novels, with promises of long adventures and heroes in distant lands; others looked stark and wise, willing to give knowledge only for a little of the reader’s time in return. To Taekwoon, they all looked enchanting - he wasn’t sure which one he would choose, would he be allowed to pull one out of its dormant state securely on the shelves.

As his eyes wandered, he caught a glimpse of a small booklet in the far right of the shop. He didn’t know why his attention seemed drawn to it; maybe because in between out of all the books around him, it looked very out of place, just like him. 

He drew in closer, his eyes scanning the little book. It couldn’t be longer than twenty to thirty pages, squeezed in between two towering volumes with black backs and silvern lettering, it’s reddish brown cover drawing Taekwoon’s attention in like it charmed his mind. He brushed his fingers over the old, supple leather, and it felt soft and inviting under his touch. Pulling it out he felt bashful, and his eyes lifted up to look around him, as if to make sure he wasn’t watched. But he was still alone in the dim light of the book shop, the flickering of the upper light making the shadows around him seem alive.

Taekwoon wasn’t sure what to do, but his eyes met with the book in his hand, and he felt the urge to open it tickle in his fingers like little sparks of fire. Suddenly feeling the cold seep in from his still drenched clothes, he took off his parker, laying it neatly next to him on the floor. He turned to sit on the old carpeted floor, the planks creaking a little under the shifting of his weight. He leaned his back against the wooden bookshelf, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he looked down, the book nestled in his hands.

Fairy Tales

it read in faint red letters that were slightly darker than its binding; there was no mentioning of the author, or of it’s contents. It seemed so simple next to the other sorts of books filling the space around him, and there was excitement spreading in Taekwoon’s chest as he felt the leather in his hands. 

He skipped through it at first, only letting the pages rolls from his fingertips as he admired the print, quickly finding out that the book was made out of little short stories, each single one containing parts of both marvellous and gruesome character. His curiosity at its peek, Taekwoon settled back to the first page, and began to read.

 

After a few chapter, or stories, Taekwoon was unable to put the little booklet aside. The tales were so fantastic, some funny, some tragic, others grotesque in the most delicious ways - he couldn’t get enough of them. He didn’t even notice that the rain had long since stopped, so engrossed was he in the written words. 

As he turned the last page of the latest tale, his eyes landed on the title of the next. Immediately, he knew that it was going to be his favourite as of yet. “The Elf of the Rose” it was titled, and he delved into the the first paragraph with a curiosity and excitement that surprised him.

THE ELF OF THE ROSE

_In the midst of a garden grew a rose-tree, in full blossom, and in the prettiest of all the roses lived an elf. He was such a little wee thing, that no human eye could see him. Behind each leaf of the rose he had a sleeping chamber. He was as well formed and as beautiful as a little child could be, and had wings that reached from his shoulders to his feet. Oh, what sweet fragrance there was in his chambers! and how clean and beautiful were the walls! for they were the blushing leaves of the rose._

Taekwoon read on, entranced; he felt a sudden urge to see the little creature with his own eyes, although it would be rather impossible, if the tale turned out to be right. Yet there was something mesmerising about the description of the little elf, and Taekwoon couldn’t wait but to read on, finding out how his adventure turned out to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to end with hakyeon coming out of the book as taekwoon read it and ofc they fall in love after weeks of hakyeon not being able to return, only to realize he's been slowly disappearing day by day...  
> i had so many good ideas back then ahh ;; why didn't i finish this ;;


	8. under the layers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> taeeun has the biggest crush on hongbin's cousin, but sanghwa doesn't like the fact that only she seems to be the one pretending.
> 
> *female!taekwoon & female!sanghyuk

Sweat runs down her face as she moves over to the benches lining the field to grab her water bottle. It’s hot, even without her running after the ball, and Taeeun runs her fingers through her ponytail to remove the sticky strands from her neck. Her feline eyes scan over the field as everyone is b-lining for their bags, and she can’t help but feel slightly left out when they get to the bench next to hers, all of their belongings pointedly stored away from her own. Then she feels herself being knocked down by a strong grip around her shoulders, making her spit out her mouthful of water unceremoniously, and she glares at a brightly smiling Sanghwa coming up right next to her.

„Yo Cap’n!“ Sanghwa giggles into Taeeun’s hair as she still holds her close, tone more boyish than one would expect from her looks. Taeeun gives her a small smile before gulping down more water, letting out a long sigh after she swallows. „What’s up? Any plans for the rest of the day?“

Taeeun looks at Sanghwa with a pointed look. „No,“ she mumbles, hair falling into her face as she leans down to pack up her things, „nothing, as usual. You?“

She can see Sanghwa look dreamily into the air, and she takes a mental note not to ask again if she has to. Unfortunately, Sanghwa hears her, and breaks out of her reverie before Taeeun can even so much as move towards the school gates.

„Actually, there’s this little get-together at Hongbin’s…“ Sanghwa’s gaze looses focus, and Taeeun really wants to wipe the infatuated smile off her face if it would make her talk faster. She snaps out of it though, her fingers brushing her red brown bangs out of her face before she resumes talking. „He said to bring someone, but I don’t really wanna hang out with any of those girls,“ she nods over to the other bench, nose scrunched in distaste, „so… how about coming with me? It’ll be fun!“

Taeeun scoffs under her breath, choosing not to answer. She packs up the remnants of her equipment, before she strides off and out of the school, a slightly panting Sanghwa following behind.

„No but,“ she breathes heavily, trying to keep up with Taeeun’s fast pace, „really! I heard he’s having a cousin over, and I know you like older guys-„ Taeeun stops abruptly, making Sanghwa unable to evade her and hit her nose against Taeeun’s shoulder blade. Sanghwa whines a little, rubbing her nose, and Taeeun turns around to her friend, sending her a glare that could freeze the heavens.

„What… did you just say.“ Her eyes are narrowed into little slits and her body is rigid, but she can feel no fear from Sanghwa what so ever. The other girl simply giggled, her laughter filling the damp air around them.

„Oh, come on, it’s not like you ever look at the guys in our school - so many of them say you’re stunning, but you ignore them like they’re babies. It’s pretty obvious, really.“

Taeeun lets the words sink in for a moment, still blinking angrily at Sanghwa without a word. The other pats her shoulder reassuringly, as if to say that it’s alright, it’s nothing bad, and Taeeun feels a wave of heat roll up her body and spread in her cheeks as the words finally hit her. She is quick to bring up one of her hands up to cover parts of her face in embarrassment, pretty long fingers hiding her blush.

„Sanghwa… I’m gonna kill you.“

As if sensing her friend’s plans, Sanghwa skips past her along the sidewalk, full on laughing now as she hops up and down, Taeeun slowly following her, head facing the floor as she tries to compose herself.

„You know,“ Sanghwa shouts over the street from her spot a few feet away, „it’s nothing bad to like experienced guys. It’ll be so much better once you-„

Sanghwa doesn’t get to finish her sentence, though, evading the sport shoe sent flying after her head by merely a few inches, still giggling as Taeeun runs along the sidewalk chasing after her with murder written in her eyes.

___

„What do you want to drink?“

Taeeun looks up from her hands to see Hongbin smiling at her, eyes bright and expectant as he waits for her to respond. It’s not that she doesn’t like Hongbin - he’s nice, and friendly, and Sanghwa has the biggest crush on him - it’s just that she can’t bring herself to say anything when she doesn’t know people very well. She eyes the drinks in Hongbin’s hands, though, before simply grabbing for the lemonade, trying a small smile as thanks. Hongbin beams and walks over to Sanghwa, who immediately starts batting her eyelashes like she has some weird tick, and Taeeun thinks she just wants to puke.

„This is fun, isn’t it?“ Sanghwa slips into her ear after Hongbin went to distribute drinks to everyone, her eyes shamelessly on his backside as he bends down to give one of the guys his drink. Taeeun only hums, mostly to appease Sanghwa, while she silently questions herself how she ended up agreeing to all of this. 

„You know, Hongbin’s cousin has been eyeing you for quite a while - why don’t you go over and talk to him?“ Sanghwa whispered.

Taeeun follows her gaze at the words, eyes meeting with the guy supposedly being Hongbin’s cousin, and she immediately looks away as she feels her heart flutter slightly. He is hot, even she can’t deny that, but rather than his looks, the interest shining bright in his eyes as they had met caught her off guard. She can feel herself blush slightly, and she immediately looks down to cover her face with her long strands of hair. It isn’t long before she glances back up, though, and those eyes are on her again. She feels embarrassed, quickly turning to snatch Sanghwa out of a conversation with Hongbin, earning herself an angry look from her friend.

„What do I do?“ She whispers to Sanghwa, not paying any attention to the fact that the latter sends her a rather frustrated look.

„I don’t know, just. Talk to him.“ And with that Taeeun’s lost her, Sanghwa turning back around to smile brightly at Hongbin, and Taeeun feels more panicked than reassured.

Ten minutes later and Taeeun just wants to fly out and crawl into her bed, because the flips her stomach makes as their eyes meet yet again make her feel weird and nauseous. She isn’t used to this kind of thing happening at all, and the longer it draws out the less she would admit to liking it. She feels like she’s suffocating - Sanghwa is off to hell knows where with Hongbin, and she isn’t close to any of the other guests. She knows a few names here and there, can tell which people are part of what year, but it doesn’t help her calming down.

She doesn’t even realize when someone is taking a seat next to her, their crossed legs so close their knees are almost touching. She jolts when a hand grazes her shoulder, and the fact that it’s Hongbin’s cousin doesn’t help to calm down her drumming heart.

„Hi!“ His smile is bright and warm and Taeeun feels dizzy, eyes flickering all over his face as she tries to take him in. He’s skin is golden, darker than hers and she has the sudden, foreign urge to touch it. The thought scares her into silence as he simply looks at her, waiting for a reply that he doesn’t get. His gaze trails down shyly, and much to Taeeun’s dismay she can’t deny that it’s cute.

„I’m sorry if I scared you there for a second. My name’s Hakyeon, I’m Hongbin’s cousin.“ He smiles again and Taeeun wants to disappear. She lets the name roll off her lips in silence, pondering over the pronunciation like it’s the most important thing, trying to distract herself from those eyes. She hears him chuckle awkwardly, most likely at her lack of reaction, and she blinks as she realizes that it’s her turn to say something.

„Uhm… Taeeun.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to turn full on yuri after taeeun realizes how sanghwa is always taking care of her but ofc I never got to that part ;;;


End file.
